Apparatus and methods for reduced switching delays in a content distribution network

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods for providing reduced channel switching delays in a content distribution network. In one embodiment, switching delays are reduced by caching background content at reduced quality and/or resolution. A manager entity is provided which manages which, and how many, background channels are cached. Additionally, the manager entity may classify each device in the network according a status thereof. When a particular device is in one status or mode, background content is cached; however, when the device is in another status or mode, it will no longer require background content caching. The provision of background content and the determination of a status may be based on for example the user or device behavior and patterns, user preferences or favorites, bandwidth availability, time of day, subscription level, type of program, recentness of channel change requests on the device (or associated devices), etc.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to co-ownedand co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/213,817 filed on Aug.19, 2011 of the same title, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 9,264,508 on Feb.16, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates generally to the field of providing content to oneor more users over a distribution network. In one exemplary aspect, theinvention relates to methods and apparatus for reducing switching delaysin a network providing IP packetized content to users.

2. Description of Related Technology

The provision of content to a plurality of subscribers in a contentdistribution network is well known in the prior art. In a typicalconfiguration, the content is distributed to the subscribers devicesover any number of different topologies including for example: (i)Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network, which may include e.g., dense wavedivision multiplexed (DWDM) optical portions, coaxial cable portions,and other types of bearer media; (ii) satellite network (e.g., from anorbital entity to a user's STB via a satellite dish); (iii) opticalfiber distribution networks such as e.g., “Fiber to the X” or FTTx(which may include for example FTTH, FTTC, FTTN, and FTTB variantsthereof); (iv) Hybrid Fiber/copper or “HFCu” networks (e.g., afiber-optic distribution network, with node or last-mile delivery beingover installed POTS/PSTN phone wiring or CAT-5 cabling); (v)microwave/millimeter wave systems; etc.

Various types of content delivery services are utilized in providingcontent to subscribers. For example, certain content may be providedaccording to a broadcast schedule (aka “linear” content). Content mayalso be provided on-demand (such as via video on-demand or VOD, freevideo on-demand, near video on-demand, etc.). Content may also beprovided to users from a recording device located at a user premises(such as via a DVR) or elsewhere (such as via a personal video recorderor network personal video recorder disposed at a network location) orvia a “startover” paradigm, which also affords the user increasedcontrol over the playback of the content (“non-linear”).

Just as different varieties of content delivery services have evolvedover time, several different network architectures have also evolved fordeploying these services. These architectures range from fullycentralized (e.g., using one or more centralized servers to providecontent to all consumers) to fully distributed (e.g., multiple copies ofcontent distributed on servers very close to the customer premises, atthe “edge” of the distribution network), as well as various otherconfigurations. Some distribution architectures (e.g., HFC cable, HFCu,etc.) consist of optical fiber towards the “core” of the network, whichis in data communication with a different medium (coaxial cable radiofrequency, copper POTS/PSTN wiring) distribution networks towards theedge.

Satellite networks similarly use a radio frequency physical layer (i.e.,satellite transceiver and associated settop box and satellite dishlocated at each of the consumer's premises) to transmit digitaltelevision and data signals.

“WiMAX” technology, specified in inter alia IEEE-Std. 802.16e, offershigh data rate, wireless access and content delivery to networksubscribers at literally any location, fixed or mobile. This technologyostensibly provides MSOs and other service providers a flexible andhigh-bandwidth means of delivering content to their subscribers, and isespecially well suited to both fixed and mobility applications due toits comparatively long range (much greater than WLAN technologies suchas Wi-Fi), and wireless (air) interface.

Other systems and methods may also be used for delivering media contentto a plurality of subscribers. For example, so-called “Internet ProtocolTelevision” or “IPTV” is a system through which services are deliveredto subscribers using the architecture and networking methods of anInternet Protocol Suite over a packet-switched network infrastructure(such as e.g., the Internet and broadband Internet access networks),instead of being delivered through traditional radio frequencybroadcast, satellite signal, or cable television (CATV) formats. Theseservices may include, for example, Live TV, Video On-Demand (VOD), andInteractive TV (iTV). IPTV delivers services (including video, audio,text, graphics, data, and control signals) across an access agnostic,packet switched network that employs the IP protocol. IPTV is managed ina way so as to provide the required level of quality of service (QoS),quality of experience (QoE), security, interactivity, and reliabilityvia intelligent terminals such as PCs, STBs, handhelds, TV, and otherterminals. IPTV service is usually delivered over a complex and heavy“walled garden” network, which is carefully engineered to ensuresufficient bandwidth for delivery of vast amounts of multicast videotraffic.

IPTV uses standard networking protocols for the delivery of content.This is accomplished by using consumer devices having broadband Internetconnections for video streaming. Home networks based on standards suchas “next generation” home network technology can be used to deliver IPTVcontent to subscriber devices in a home.

So-called “Internet TV”, on the other hand, generally refers totransport streams sent over IP networks (normally the Internet) fromoutside the network (e.g., cable, HFCu, satellite, etc.) that connectsto the user's premises. An Internet TV provider has no control over thefinal delivery, and so broadcasts on a “best effort” basis, notablywithout QoS requirements.

There is also a growing effort to standardize the use of the 3GPP IPMultimedia System (IMS) as an architecture for supporting IPTV servicesin carriers networks, in order to provide both voice and IPTV servicesover the same core infrastructure. IMS-based IPTV may be adapted to becompliant with the IPTV solutions specifications issued by many IPTVstandards development organizations (SDOs), such as, e.g., Open IPTVForum, ETSI-TISPAN, ITU-T, etc.

Extant Internet TV and IPTV solutions (regardless of bearer medium) lackseveral fundamental capabilities now being demanded by users, includinga desire for a user experience which mimics that of traditionalbroadcast systems in terms of providing swift and smooth channelchanging or so-called “channel surfing” capabilities in a bandwidth andnetwork efficient way.

One improved architecture and associated methods for packetized (e.g.,IP) content delivery are described co-owned U.S. application Ser. No.12/841,906 filed on Jul. 22, 2010 and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODSFOR PACKETIZED CONTENT DELIVERY OVER A BANDWIDTH-EFFICIENT NETWORK”, nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,997,136 issued on Mar. 31, 2015, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. This architecture addresses theforegoing shortcomings of IPTV and Internet TV. However, theaforementioned smooth channel surfing capabilities are still desirablein such an architecture. Prior art methods for handling channel changesinvolving packetized content focus generally on providing a lowresolution version of a requested program up to a point in time wherethe buffer of the viewer's set-top box is sufficiently filled. Then, theset-top box or the video server initiates a switch to the multicastedhigh resolution version of the channel. The low-resolution versionostensibly has the advantage of buffering faster, and hence reducingdelay or latency to some degree. While these methods take into accountviewers' tendency to traverse through the channels that lie betweentheir current channel and their desired channel if the “distance” isshort, they do not take into account other alternative tendencies of theviewer (for example, the viewers' tendency to jump to a distantchannel).

In order to provide the ability to reduce delay in the prior artmethods, certain channels may be selected for caching and therefore arepre-buffered and ready for immediate viewing. However, the prior artfails to provide a system which is able to determine when to providecached background channels and when to cease the delivery and/or cachingthereof.

Accordingly, what are needed are improved methods and apparatus toreduce latency in channel switching in a network, especially fornetworks carrying multiple channels of Internet protocol (IP) content.Such apparatus and methods would ideally provide efficient latencyreduction during instances of channel surfing, and would predict timesor instances where the user is likely to begin channel surfing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the foregoing needs by disclosing, interalia, apparatus and methods for reducing switching delays in a networkfor providing content.

In a first aspect of the invention, a method for providing reducedchannel changing latency in a content delivery network is disclosed. Inone embodiment, the method includes: (i) receiving a request for firstcontent from a user of a first device in communication with the network,(ii) providing the requested first content, (iii) caching a plurality ofsecond content, a selection of the plurality of second content based atleast in part on content selections by the user, (iv) receiving arequest for one of the plurality of cached second content, (v)delivering the requested one of the cached second content, the deliverythereof comprising increasing at least one quality of the cached versionthereof, and (vi) caching an updated plurality of second content. In onevariant, the updated plurality of second content is based at least inpart on the request for the one of the plurality of cached secondcontent. The act of caching the second content may enable the deliveryof the requested one of the cached second content to be performedsubstantially immediately after the request therefore is received.

In a second aspect of the invention, an apparatus for providing reducedchannel changing latency in a content delivery network is disclosed. Inone embodiment, the apparatus includes at least one network interface, astorage entity, and a processor configured to run at least one computerprogram thereon, the computer program. In one variant, the program isconfigured to, when executed: (i) access first information relating to astatus of a user device in the network, (ii) when the user device has afirst status, access second information relating to a user profileassociated therewith, and (iii) utilize the second information to selectone or more of a plurality of content for caching for the user device.

In a third aspect of the invention, a method for providing reducedchannel changing latency in a content distribution network is disclosed.In one embodiment, the method includes: (i) providing first content to auser device in communication with the network, the user device having afirst status with respect to its activity in the network, (ii) receivingfrom the user device a request for second content, (iii) determiningwhether to change the first status of the user device to a secondstatus, (iv) providing the requested second content, and (v) when it isdetermined that the status of the user device is to be changed to thesecond status, caching third content, the caching of the third contentcomprising preparing the third content for delivery to the user withreduced latency.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for providing bandwidthefficient reduced channel changing latency in a content delivery networkis disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing firstcontent to a user device, caching second content, the cached secondcontent able to be provided to the user device upon request thereforewith reduced latency, and after a criterion for inactivity of the userdevice has been met, cease caching the second content.

In a fifth aspect of the invention, a computer readable apparatus isdisclosed. The computer readable apparatus in one embodiment includesinstructions which when executed reduced channel changing latency. Inone embodiment latency is reduced by: (i) providing first content to auser device in communication with the network, the user device having afirst status with respect to its activity in the network, (ii) receivingfrom the user device a request for second content, (iii) determiningwhether to change the first status of the user device to a secondstatus, (iv) providing the requested second content, and (v) when it isdetermined that the status of the user device is to be changed to thesecond status, caching third content. In one variant, the caching of thethird content comprises preparing the third content for delivery to theuser with reduced latency.

In another embodiment, latency is reduced and bandwidth is conserved byproviding first content to a user device, caching second content, thecached second content able to be provided to the user device uponrequest therefore with reduced latency, and after a criterion forinactivity of the user device has been met, cease caching the secondcontent.

These and other aspects of the invention shall become apparent whenconsidered in light of the disclosure provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating one exemplarypacketized content delivery network architecture useful with the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating another exemplarypacketized content delivery network architecture useful with the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method ofproviding reduced channel switching delays according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of a method ofproviding reduced channel switching delays according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another one embodiment of a methodof providing reduced channel switching delays according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of amanager according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of agateway apparatus according to the present invention.

All Figures © Copyright 2010-2011 Time Warner Cable, Inc. All rightsreserved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer tolike parts throughout.

As used herein, the term “application” refers generally to a unit ofexecutable software that implements a certain functionality or theme.The themes of applications vary broadly across any number of disciplinesand functions (such as on-demand content management, e-commercetransactions, brokerage transactions, home entertainment, calculatoretc.), and one application may have more than one theme. The unit ofexecutable software generally runs in a predetermined environment; forexample, the unit could comprise a downloadable Java Xlet™ that runswithin the JavaTV™ environment.

As used herein, the terms “client device” and “end user device” include,but are not limited to, set-top boxes (e.g., DSTBs), gateways, modems,personal computers (PCs), and minicomputers, whether desktop, laptop, orotherwise, and mobile devices such as handheld computers, PDAs, personalmedia devices (PMDs), and smartphones.

As used herein, the term “codec” refers to a video, audio, or other datacoding and/or decoding algorithm, process or apparatus including,without limitation, those of the MPEG (e.g., MPEG-1, MPEG-2,MPEG-4/H.264, etc.), Real (RealVideo, etc.), AC-3 (audio), DiVX,XViD/ViDX, Windows Media Video (e.g., WMV 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11), ATI Videocodec, or VC-1 (SMPTE standard 421M) families.

As used herein, the term “computer program” or “software” is meant toinclude any sequence or human or machine cognizable steps which performa function. Such program may be rendered in virtually any programminglanguage or environment including, for example, C/C++, Fortran, COBOL,PASCAL, assembly language, markup languages (e.g., HTML, SGML, XML,VoXML), and the like, as well as object-oriented environments such asthe Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Java™ (includingJ2ME, Java Beans, etc.), Binary Runtime Environment (e.g., BREW), andthe like.

The terms “Consumer Premises Equipment (CPE)” and “host device” referwithout limitation to any type of electronic equipment located within aconsumer's or user's premises and connected to a network. The term “hostdevice” includes terminal devices that have access to digital televisioncontent via a satellite, cable, or terrestrial network. The host devicefunctionality may be integrated into a digital television (DTV) set. Theterm “consumer premises equipment” (CPE) includes such electronicequipment such as set-top boxes, televisions, Digital Video Recorders(DVR), gateway storage devices (Furnace), and ITV Personal Computers.

As used herein, the term “display” means any type of device adapted todisplay information, including without limitation CRTs, LCDs, TFTs,plasma displays, LEDs, incandescent and fluorescent devices, orcombinations/integrations thereof. Display devices may also include lessdynamic devices such as, for example, printers, e-ink devices, and thelike.

As used herein, the term “DOCSIS” refers to any of the existing orplanned variants of the Data Over Cable Services InterfaceSpecification, including for example DOCSIS versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 and3.0. DOCSIS (version 1.0) is a standard and protocol for internet accessusing a “digital” cable network. DOCSIS 1.1 is interoperable with DOCSIS1.0, and has data rate and latency guarantees (VoIP), as well asimproved security compared to DOCSIS 1.0. DOCSIS 2.0 is interoperablewith 1.0 and 1.1, yet provides a wider upstream band (6.4 MHz), as wellas new modulation formats including TDMA and CDMA. It also providessymmetric services (30 Mbps upstream).

As used herein, the term “headend” refers generally to a networkedsystem controlled by an operator (e.g., an MSO or multiple systemsoperator) that distributes programming to MSO clientele using clientdevices. Such programming may include literally any informationsource/receiver including, inter alia, free-to-air TV channels, pay TVchannels, interactive TV, and the Internet.

As used herein, the terms “Internet” and “internet” are usedinterchangeably to refer to inter-networks including, withoutlimitation, the Internet.

As used herein, the term “memory” includes any type of integratedcircuit or other storage device adapted for storing digital dataincluding, without limitation, ROM. PROM, EEPROM, DRAM, SDRAM, DDR/2SDRAM, EDO/FPMS, RLDRAM, SRAM, “flash” memory (e.g., NAND/NOR), andPSRAM.

As used herein, the terms “microprocessor” and “digital processor” aremeant generally to include all types of digital processing devicesincluding, without limitation, digital signal processors (DSPs), reducedinstruction set computers (RISC), general-purpose (CISC) processors,microprocessors, gate arrays (e.g., FPGAs), PLDs, reconfigurablecomputer fabrics (RCFs), array processors, secure microprocessors, andapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Such digitalprocessors may be contained on a single unitary IC die, or distributedacross multiple components.

As used herein, the terms “MSO” or “multiple systems operator” refer toa cable, fiber to the home (FTTH), fiber to the curb (FTTC), satellite,or terrestrial network provider having infrastructure required todeliver services including programming and data over those mediums.

As used herein, the terms “network” and “bearer network” refer generallyto any type of telecommunications or data network including, withoutlimitation, hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, satellite networks, telconetworks, and data networks (including MANs, WANs, LANs, WLANs,internets, and intranets). Such networks or portions thereof may utilizeany one or more different topologies (e.g., ring, bus, star, loop,etc.), transmission media (e.g., wired/RF cable, RF wireless, millimeterwave, optical, etc.) and/or communications or networking protocols.

As used herein, the term “network interface” refers to any signal, data,or software interface with a component, network or process including,without limitation, those of the FireWire (e.g., FW400, FW800, etc.),USB (e.g., USB2), Ethernet (e.g., 10/100, 10/100/1000 (GigabitEthernet), 10-Gig-E, etc.), MoCA, Coaxsys (e.g., TVnet™), radiofrequency tuner (e.g., in-band or OOB, cable modem, etc.), Wi-Fi(802.11), WiMAX (802.16), PAN (e.g., 802.15), or IrDA families.

As used herein, the term “QAM” refers to modulation schemes used forsending signals over cable networks. Such modulation scheme might useany constellation level (e.g. QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, etc.)depending on details of a cable network. A QAM may also refer to aphysical channel modulated according to the schemes.

As used herein, the term “server” refers to any computerized component,system or entity regardless of form which is adapted to provide data,files, applications, content, or other services to one or more otherdevices or entities on a computer network.

As used herein, the term “service”, “content”, “program” and “stream”are sometimes used synonymously to refer to a sequence of packetizeddata that is provided in what a subscriber may perceive as a service. A“service” (or “content”, or “stream”) in the former, specialized sensemay correspond to different types of services in the latter,non-technical sense. For example, a “service” in the specialized sensemay correspond to, among others, video broadcast, audio-only broadcast,pay-per-view, or video-on-demand. The perceivable content provided onsuch a “service” may be live, pre-recorded, delimited in time,undelimited in time, or of other descriptions. In some cases, a“service” in the specialized sense may correspond to what a subscriberwould perceive as a “channel” in traditional broadcast television.

As used herein, the term “service group” refers to either a group ofservice users (e.g. subscribers), or the resources shared by them in theform of for example entire cable RF signal, only the RF channels used toreceive the service or otherwise treated as a single logical unit by thenetwork for resource assignment.

As used herein, the term “storage device” refers to without limitationcomputer hard drives, DVR device, memory, RAID devices or arrays,optical media (e.g., CD-ROMs, Laserdiscs, Blu-Ray, etc.), or any otherdevices or media capable of storing content or other information.

As used herein, the term “user interface” refers to, without limitation,any visual, graphical, tactile, audible, sensory, or other means ofproviding information to and/or receiving information from a user orother entity.

As used herein, the term “wireless” means any wireless signal, data,communication, or other interface including without limitation Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, 3G (3GPP/3GPP2), HSDPA/HSUPA, TDMA, CDMA (e.g., IS-95A,WCDMA, etc.), FHSS, DSSS, GSM, PAN/802.15, WiMAX (802.16), 802.20,narrowband/FDMA, OFDM, PC S/DCS, LTE/LTE-A, analog cellular, CDPD,satellite systems, millimeter wave or microwave systems, acoustic, andinfrared (i.e., IrDA).

Overview

In one salient aspect, the present invention discloses methods andapparatus for providing reduced channel switching delays in a contentdelivery network. In one embodiment, the content delivery network isconfigured to carry Internet Protocol (IP) based content, and switchingdelays are reduced by caching “background” content (i.e., content whichit is anticipated the viewer will request next) at reduced qualityand/or resolution. The provided background content anticipates channelchanges and, when a channel change is made to the background content,the selected content is immediately increased in quality and/orresolution, and provided to the requesting device along with updatedbackground content.

In the exemplary implementation, the network includes a manager entitywhich manages which and how many background channels are cached. Theprovision of background content may be based on any number of differentparameters or considerations, such as for example the user or devicebehavior and patterns, user preferences or “favorites”, bandwidthconsiderations, time of day, and/or subscription level. Information ormetadata enabling the manager entity to make such determinations isstored at a database accessible by the entity.

Additionally, the manager entity may classify each device in the networkaccording a status thereof. When a particular device is in one status ormode, it will have appropriate background content cached therefore.However, when the device is in another status or mode, it will no longerhave background content caching. The manager entity may make adetermination of a status or mode of each device based on e.g., time ofday, type of program, recentness of activity (i.e., channel changerequests) on the device (or associated devices), bandwidth availability,or subscription level, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing.

In another embodiment, a gateway apparatus is provided for enablingcontent delivery to a plurality of legacy, or non-IP enabled devices.The gateway apparatus may be assigned a mode and/or a set of backgroundchannels applicable to all of the devices in communication therewith.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

Exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and methods of the presentinvention are now described in detail. While these exemplary embodimentsare described in the context of the aforementioned hybrid fiber coax(HFC) cable system architecture having an multiple systems operator(MSO), digital networking capability, IP delivery capability, andplurality of client devices/CPE, the general principles and advantagesof the invention may be extended to other types of networks andarchitectures, whether broadband, narrowband, wired or wireless, orotherwise, the following therefore being merely exemplary in nature.

It will also be appreciated that while described generally in thecontext of a consumer (i.e., home) end user domain, the presentinvention may be readily adapted to other types of environments (e.g.,commercial/enterprise, government/military, etc.) as well. Myriad otherapplications are possible.

It is further noted that while exemplary embodiments are describedprimarily in the context of a cable system with 6 MHz RF channels, thepresent invention is applicable to literally any network topology orparadigm, and any frequency/bandwidth or transport modality.

Also, while certain aspects are described primarily in the context ofthe well-known Internet Protocol (described in, inter alia, RFC 791 and2460), it will be appreciated that the present invention may utilizeother types of protocols (and in fact bearer networks to include otherinternets and intranets) to implement the described functionality.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will immediatelybe recognized by persons of ordinary skill in the art with reference tothe attached drawings and detailed description of exemplary embodimentsas given below.

Network

In a typical content delivery network configuration, content is providedfrom one or more content sources via one or more distribution servers tocustomer premises equipment (CPE). In one implementation, thedistribution server(s), VOD servers and CPE(s) are connected via abearer (e.g., HFC or satellite) network. A network headend (includingvarious ones of the components listed above) may also be connectedthrough a gateway or other such interface to unmanaged externalinternetworks such as the Internet.

The CPE as discussed herein includes any equipment in the “customers'premises” (or other locations, whether local or remote to thedistribution server) that can be accessed by a distribution server. Aswill be discussed in greater detail below, in one embodiment, the CPEmay include IP-enabled CPE, and a gateway or specially configured modem(e.g., DOCSIS cable or satellite modem).

A typical headend architecture may include a billing module, subscribermanagement system (SMS) and CPE configuration management module,cable-modem termination system (CMTS) and OOB system, as well as LAN(s)placing the various components in data communication with one another.

The exemplary headend architecture further includes amultiplexer-encrypter-modulator (MEM) coupled to the network and adaptedto process or condition content for transmission over the network.Distribution servers (coupled to the LAN) may access the MEM and networkvia one or more file servers. Information is carried across multiplechannels, thus, the headend is adapted to acquire the information forthe carried channels from various sources. Typically, the channels beingdelivered from the headend to the CPE (“downstream”) are multiplexedtogether in the headend and sent to neighborhood hubs via a variety ofinterposed network components.

Content (e.g., audio, video, data, files, etc.) is provided in eachdownstream (in-band) channel associated with the relevant service group.To communicate with the headend or intermediary node (e.g., hub server),the CPE may use the out-of-band (OOB) or DOCSIS channels and associatedprotocols.

An optical transport ring is also commonly utilized to distribute thedense wave-division multiplexed (DWDM) optical signals to each hubwithin the network in an efficient fashion.

In another embodiment, a so-called “broadcast switched architecture”(BSA), also known as “switched digital video” or “SDV”, may be utilized.Switching architectures allow improved efficiency of bandwidth use forordinary digital broadcast programs. Ideally, the subscriber is unawareof any difference between programs delivered using a switched networkand ordinary streaming broadcast delivery.

Typically, in the BSA model, the headend contains switched broadcastcontrol and media path functions which cooperate to control and feed,respectively, downstream or edge switching devices at the hub site whichare used to selectively switch broadcast streams to various servicegroups. A BSA or SDV server is also disposed at the hub site, andimplements functions related to switching and bandwidth conservation (inconjunction with a management entity at the headend).

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary network architecture for providingoptimized delivery of packetized content is shown. In addition toon-demand and broadcast content (e.g., video programming), the system ofFIG. 1 also delivers Internet data services using the Internet protocol(IP), although other protocols and transport mechanisms of the type wellknown in the digital communication art may be substituted.

In one exemplary delivery paradigm MPEG-based video content isdelivered, with the video transported to user PCs (or IP-based CPE) overthe relevant transport (e.g., DOCSIS channels) comprising MPEG (or othervideo codec such as H.264 or AVC) over IP over MPEG That is, the higherlayer MPEG- or other encoded content is encapsulated using an IPprotocol, which then utilizes an MPEG packetization of the type wellknown in the art for delivery over the RF channels or other transport,such as via a multiplexed transport stream (MPTS). In this fashion, aparallel delivery mode to the normal broadcast delivery exists; e.g., inthe cable paradigm, delivery of video content both over traditionaldownstream QAMs to the tuner of the user's STB or other receiver devicefor viewing on the television, and also as packetized IP data over theDOCSIS QAMs to the user's PC or other IP-enabled device via the user'scable modem. Delivery in such packetized modes may be unicast,multicast, or broadcast. Delivery of the IP-encapsulated data may alsooccur over the non-DOCSIS QAMs.

The CPE 106 of the exemplary embodiment are each configured to monitorthe particular assigned RF channel (such as via a port or socketID/address, or other such mechanism) for IP packets intended for thesubscriber premises/address that they serve.

The “packet optimized” delivery network is used for carriage of thepacket content (e.g., IPTV content) when the request issues from an MSOnetwork. As illustrated in FIG. 1, an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)network with common control plane and service delivery platform (SDP),as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/256,903entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PACKETIZED CONTENT DELIVERY OVER ACONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK”, incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety may be utilized. Such a network provides significantenhancements in terms of common control of different services,implementation and management of content delivery sessions according tounicast or multicast models, quality-of-service (QoS) for IP-packetizedcontent streams, service blending and “mashup”, etc.; however, it isappreciated that the various features of the present invention are in noway limited to any of the foregoing architectures.

In the switched digital variant, the IP packets associated with Internetservices are received by edge switch, and forwarded to the cable modemtermination system (CMTS). The CMTS examines the packets, and forwardspackets intended for the local network to the edge switch. Other packetsare discarded or routed to another component.

The edge switch forwards the packets receive from the CMTS to the QAMmodulator, which transmits the packets on one or more physical(QAM-modulated RF) channels to the CPE. The IP packets are typicallytransmitted on RF channels that are different than the RF channels usedfor the broadcast video and audio programming, although this is not arequirement. As noted above, the CPE are each configured to monitor theparticular assigned RF channel (such as via a port or socket ID/address,or other such mechanism) for IP packets intended for the subscriberpremises/address that they serve.

Packetized Content Delivery Network Architecture for Reducing SwitchingDelays

Referring now to FIG. 2, one exemplary embodiment of the architecturefor providing reduced channel switching delays in the delivery ofpacketized content according to the present invention is illustrated.The network 200 generally comprises a local headend 201 in communicationwith at least one hub 203 via an optical ring 207. The distribution hub203 is able to provide content to various user devices, CPE 222, andgateway devices 220, via a network 205.

Various content sources 202 are used to provide content to a contentserver 204. For example, content may be received from a local, regional,or network content library as discussed in co-owned U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/841,906 filed on Jul. 22, 2010 and entitled “APPARATUS ANDMETHODS FOR PACKETIZED CONTENT DELIVERY OVER A BANDWIDTH-EFFICIENTNETWORK”, previously incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Alternatively, content may be received from linear analog or digitalfeeds, as well as third party content sources. Internet content sources210 (such as e.g., a web server) provide internet content to apacketized content server 206. Other IP content may also be received atthe packetized content server 206, such as voice over IP (VoIP) and/orIPTV content. Content may also be received from subscriber andnon-subscriber devices (e.g., a PC or smartphone-originated user madevideo). In one embodiment, the functionality of both the content server204 and packetized content server 206 may be integrated into a singleserver entity.

A central media server located in the headend 201 may be used as aninstalled backup to the hub media servers as (i) the primary source forlower demand services, and (ii) as the source of the real time,centrally encoded programs with PVR (personal video recorder)capabilities. By distributing the servers to the hub stations 203 asshown in FIG. 2, the size of the fiber transport network associated withdelivering VOD services from the central headend media server isadvantageously reduced. Hence, each user has access to several serverports located on at least two servers. Multiple paths and channels areavailable for content and data distribution to each user, assuring highsystem reliability and enhanced asset availability. Substantial costbenefits are derived from the reduced need for a large contentdistribution network, and the reduced storage capacity requirements forhub servers (by virtue of the hub servers having to store and distributeless content).

It will also be recognized that a heterogeneous or mixed server approachcan be utilized consistent with the invention. For example, one serverconfiguration or architecture may be used for servicing cable,satellite, HFCu, etc. subscriber CPE-based session requests, while adifferent configuration or architecture may be used for servicing mobileclient requests. Similarly, the content servers 204, 206 can either besingle-purpose/dedicated (e.g., where a given server is dedicated onlyto servicing certain types of requests), or alternatively multi-purpose(e.g., where a given server is capable of servicing requests frommultiple different sources).

The network 200 of FIG. 2 may further include a legacymultiplexer/encrypter/modulator (MEM; not shown) coupled to the network205 adapted to “condition” content for transmission over the network. Inthe present context, the content server 204 and packetized contentserver 206 may be coupled to the aforementioned LAN, thereby providingaccess to the MEM and network 205 via one or more file servers (notshown). The content server 204 and packetized content server 206 arecoupled via the LAN to a headend switching device 208 such as an 802.3zGigabit Ethernet (or incipient “10G”) device. Video and audio content ismultiplexed at the headend 201 and transmitted to the edge switch device212 (which may also comprise an 802.3z Gigabit Ethernet device).

In one embodiment of the invention, both IP data content andIP-packetized audio/video content is delivered to a user via one or moreuniversal edge QAM devices 218. According to this embodiment, all of thecontent is delivered on DOCSIS channels, which are received by apremises gateway 220 (described subsequently herein) and distributed toone or more CPE 222 in communication therewith. Alternatively, the CPE222 may be configured to receive IP content directly without need of thegateway or other intermediary. As a complementary or back-up mechanism,audio/video content may also be provided in downstream (in-band)channels as discussed above; i.e., via traditional “video” in-band QAMs.In this fashion, a co-enabled digital set top box (DSTB) or other CPEcould readily tune to the new (in-band) RF video QAM in the event thattheir IP session over the DOCSIS QAM is for some reason interrupted.This may even be accomplished via appropriate logic within the CPE(e.g., autonomously, or based on signaling received from the headend orother upstream entity, or even at direction of a user in the premises;e.g., by selecting an appropriate DSTB or other CPE function).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, IP packetized content isprovided to various user devices via the network 205. For example,content may be delivered to a gateway apparatus 220 which distributescontent received thereat to one or more CPE 222 in communication withthe apparatus 220.

In another variant, elements in both the headend and CPE 222 arespecially adapted to utilize transmission infrastructure to transmit andreceive both multiplexed wideband content and legacy content as isdescribed in co-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/013,671 filed on Dec. 15, 2004 and entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FORWIDEBAND DISTRIBUTION OF CONTENT”, which is incorporated by referencedherein in its entirety. As discussed therein, the CPE 222 or gateway 220of this embodiment may be configured to contain multiple tuners (or asingle wide-band tuner) which allow the device to receive the signalsfrom all of the relevant physical carriers simultaneously. The carriersare demodulated, and channel-based decryption and basic demultiplexing(recombination) is performed. If multiplexed, the streams are thendelivered to a transport demultiplexer which demultiplexes all of thestreams resident within the statistical multiplex.

Methods and apparatus for the switched delivery of content may also beutilized consistent with the present invention. For example, only thatcontent for which there is at least one request from a user device maybe provided. In one embodiment, the methods and apparatus disclosed inco-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/956,688 filed on Sep. 20,2001, entitled “TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING PROGRAM MATERIAL INA CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM” and now U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,623 issued onApr. 29, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety, may be utilized for providing “switched” delivery of the IPcontent. For example, a mechanism may be employed whereby the deliveryof a session is based at least in part on logic to determine whether anyusers for the session are active; e.g., a multicast with no remaining“viewers” (or session participants) may be collapsed, and the bandwidthreclaimed.

In another variant, IP simulcast content and existing on-demand, voice,and broadcast content are all provided to the headend switch device 208of FIG. 2. The headend switch 208 then provides the content to theoptical ring 207 for provision to one or more distribution hubs 203. IPsimulcast content is in one exemplary implementation retrieved from aplurality of content sources at an IPTV server.

The IP-packet content is transmitted to subscriber devices via theuniversal edge QAM 218 and the edge network 205. The IP video(“simulcast”) content is presented to client devices capable ofreceiving content over the DOCSIS QAMs. For example, the aforementionedgateway device 220 (as well as an advanced CPE 222 such as an IP-enabledDSTB may receive the IP simulcast. Legacy CPE may receive content viathe gateway device 220, or via an audio/video “back-up” MPEG transportstream as previously described.

It is further appreciated that content may be delivered to variousWorldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)-enabled mobiledevices (e.g., PMD or non-legacy CPE) via a WiMAX distribution hub ofthe type now ubiquitous in the wireless arts. WiMAX is a wirelesstechnology that provides high-throughput broadband connections overlonger distances (as compared to short-range technologies such as WLAN,Bluetooth or PAN). WiMAX can be used for a number of applications,including “last mile” broadband connections, cellular backhaul, hotspotcoverage, and high-speed enterprise connectivity, as well as broadbanddelivery to mobile devices.

Moreover, the aforementioned WiMAX technology may be used in conjunctionwith a WiMAX-enabled gateway (not shown) or CPE, such that content isdelivered wirelessly to the gateway or CPE from the distribution hub,irrespective of the indigenous wired or optical distribution networkinfrastructure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the gateway device 220 serves as agateway to the IP content for other client devices (such as other CPE222 and PMD). The gateway device 220 may communicate with one or moreconnected CPE 222, as well as utilize Wi-Fi capabilities (where soequipped) to communicate wirelessly to other devices. It will also berecognized that the present invention may be configured with one or moreshort-range wireless links such as Bluetooth for lower bandwidthapplications (or UWB/PAN for greater bandwidth applications).

In another embodiment, content received at a first user CPE 222 may betransmitted to CPE 222 of other premises in a peer-to-peer (P2P)fashion. For example, first content may be requested and received at afirst CPE 222. Then, when a second CPE 222 in the same region ordivision requests the same content, the request may be examined by aheadend entity (not shown), or the gateway 220 acting as a peer proxy,to determine that the requesting second device CPE 222 is entitled toreceive the content and that the content is available at the first CPE222. The headend entity directs a peer-to-peer communication to beestablished between the authorized second CPE 222 and the CPE 222 havingthe requested content. It is appreciated that while described herein inthe context of a single CPE 222 providing content to a second CPE 222,several CPE 222 having the content thereon may be contacted forsimultaneous delivery of the content to one or more second CPE 222. Inone such implementation, the peer-to-peer communication methods andapparatus disclosed in co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/726,095 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTENT DELIVERY ANDREPLACEMENT IN A NETWORK” filed Mar. 20, 2007, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety, may be utilized in conjunction withthe present invention. As discussed therein, these P2P methods andapparatus also advantageously improve the “robustness” or capability ofthe network with respect to ensuring that subscribers or other users canreceive and access desired content when they want, as well as seamlesslyrepairing or reconstituting damaged or missed portions of that content(including even an entire streamed program, broadcast or download).

It is still further appreciated that the delivery of content may includedelivery from an “off-net” distribution hub (not shown) to anothernetwork (not shown), not associated with the MSO. In this embodiment, arequesting device (such as CPE 222 or gateway 220) may request contentfrom a local headend 201 which is transferred over both MSO-maintained(“on-net”) and “off-net” networks advantageously.

In another aspect of the invention, a so-called “decision” engine may bedisposed at e.g., the manager 214, as a separate entity at the hub 203or headend 201, the CPE 106, or other location (e.g., rendered as one ormore computer programs disposed thereon). This engine comprises, in anexemplary embodiment, one or more software routines adapted to controlbandwidth allocation for caching background content in order to achieveone or more goals relating to operations or business (e.g., profit orrevenue or subscriber retention). Included within these goals arenetwork optimization and reliability goals, increased maintenanceintervals, increased subscriber or user satisfaction/longevity,increased subscription base, higher profit (e.g., from increasedadvertising revenues, more subscriber “views” of given content, greaterflexibility in the types and locations of platforms from which thesubscriber may access content, and so forth).

These decision rules may comprise a separate entity or process, and mayalso be fully integrated within other processing entities (such as theapplications running on the aforementioned entities), and controlled viae.g., a GUI displayed on a device connected to the relevant server,network entity (such as the manager 214), or even CPE. In effect, therules engine comprises a supervisory entity which monitors andselectively controls content access and delivery operation (includingallocation of bandwidth and other resources to background channels) at ahigher level, so as to implement desired operational or business rules.

For example, the relevant entity may invoke certain operationalprotocols or decision processes based on information/inputs or requestsreceived from the CPE (including e.g., priority assignments), conditionsexisting within the network (such as limited bandwidth availability),demographic data, geographic data, user and/or device profileinformation, etc. However, these processes may not always be compatiblewith higher-level business or operational goals, such as maximizingprofit or system reliability. Hence, when imposed, thebusiness/operational rules can be used to dynamically (or manually)control access to and delivery of content (including backgroundcontent).

The decision rules may be, e.g., operational or business-oriented innature, and may also be applied selectively in terms of time of day,duration, specific local areas, or even at the individual user level(e.g., via specific identification of the CPE or client device via atuner identity (tuner ID), IP address, MAC address, or the like). Inanother variant, the application of these business or operational rulesmay occur according to a user-based login or “entitlements” profile ofthe type described at e.g., co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/536,724 filed on Aug. 6, 2009 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORMANAGING ENTITLEMENTS TO DATA OVER A NETWORK”, now U.S. Pat. No.8,341,242 issued on Dec. 25, 2012, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. In other words, when a particular subscriberlogs into the system, it is immediately known whether the device onwhich the subscriber has logged on and/or subscriber him/herself are“high priority”, and thus appropriate bandwidth allocation andbackground content caching rules may be utilized.

One decision rule implemented by the decision engine may compriseenabling and/or disabling background content caching according to arevenue- or profit-driven system. Utilizing this approach, an individualuser or device (and/or content itself) may be selected as able or notable to be provided background caching based in part on the revenue orprofit such delivery will bring to the MSO (for example based on thecontent source or subscription level of the user). For example, certaincontent which brings more revenue to the MSO may be prioritized overother, less profitable content, and thus be preferentially provided asbackground content. Additionally, lower tier subscribers may be selectedas not receiving background content caching services, only premiumsubscribers being afforded reduced latency associated withsimultaneously caching potentially relevant content.

Many other permutations of the foregoing system components,architectures and communication methods may also be used consistent withthe present invention, as will be recognized by those of ordinary skillin the field.

During viewing, the user of a CPE 222 may request different programming;i.e., may request to change the channel. A delay associated with achannel change in the IP packetized content system is experienced dueto, inter alia, the necessary buffering of the incoming newly requestedprogramming. In one embodiment, however, this latency is reduced bycaching a plurality of “background” streaming content for anticipateddelivery. As will be described in greater detail subsequently herein,this background content generally comprises content which the systemanticipates will be requested by the viewer. The background streamingcontent is pre-buffered and pre-loaded so that a user may make aseamless transition between currently received content and new content.

The background streams are, in one variant, cached at a lower resolutionor quality until one of these is selected in a channel change event.Delivery of one of the background streams to the requesting viewer isdelayed in one implementation to allow the system to increase theresolution and/or quality thereof prior to it being provided to the userdevice. The original stream may continue to be provided to the userduring this delay period so that the switch to the new channel isseamless at full resolution and quality. Alternatively, the new streammay be provided at lower quality, and/or resolution immediately. Thequality and/or resolution is increased as the new stream is beingdisplayed, as it becomes available.

The background streams in one embodiment comprise unicast streamsprovided to the devices individually. When the user selects to view oneof these, the unicast version is provided. Later, in the instance morethan one device has requested a particular stream, these devices may bemerged to a multicast of the programming content; e.g., via an IMGPv3 orsimilar protocol. In yet another variant, the unicasts comprise lowerresolution or lower quality versions which are available initially for achannel change event, and which are replaced by a multicast highresolution or quality version. The user experiences effectivelyinstantaneous channel changes with a short latency from receiving alower quality stream to a higher quality stream.

The background streams selected to be cached for use by a particulardevice have some significance to that particular device. For instance,the background streams selected to be cached to a device (e.g., CPE) maycomprise a pre-determined number of channels above and below a user'scurrent channel. The pre-determined number of channels may be forexample: (i) symmetric (such as three channels up and three channelsdown from the current channel), (ii) asymmetric (such as three channelsup and only one channel down from a current channel), or (iii) based ona direction of movement (such as where the user is steadily moving upfrom a current channel, the background streams may progress upwards). Inanother variant, the caching is controlled at least in part based on theuser's channel change rate. For example, content cached for a user whois rapidly flipping channels might be cached in greater number; e.g.,three channels “up” for a slow rate of channel-hopping in the upwarddirection, or six channels cached for a fast channel-hop rate.

The number of background streams provided may vary as a function ofavailable bandwidth. Hence, a manager entity 214 is provided to makedecisions regarding background streams to be cached as potentiallydeliverable to any one CPE 222. In one implementation, the manager 214collects data regarding channel change events at each CPE 222, andstores this information in a metadata database 224. The manager 214 mayutilize this information to determine which streams to cache at anygiven time to the device(s) as background streams.

Background streams may thereby be targeted to the individual usersand/or past activity on the device. For instance, background streams maybe selected for caching based on historic usage metadata to determinepopularity of the services and channels with respect to a given user. Inone variant of the invention, a user profile is created. Arecommendation engine such as for instance that discussed in co-ownedU.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20100251305 filed on Mar. 30,2009 and entitled “RECOMMENDATION ENGINE APPARATUS AND METHODS”, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,215,423 issued on Dec. 15, 2015, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety may be utilized in conjunction withthe present invention to provide and enhance user profiles. As discussedtherein, a mechanism for particularly selecting content to align with auser's preferences (the latter which the viewer need not enter manually)is provided. The content delivered to the user (or chosen as backgroundcontent) is compiled from various distinct sources, including, interalia, DVR, broadcasts, VOD systems, start over systems, etc. The presentinvention provides a mechanism to learn (and unlearn) the user'spreferences and which content they are likely to enjoy based on actionstaken with regard to the content.

A user may also establish a “favorites list”, or alternatively one maybe generated based on the collected metadata. The “favorites” channelsmay be cached as background streams regardless of a user's currentlyviewed program. In one embodiment, the most recently viewed programs areused as a favorites list. Alternatively, the most often watched channelsor programs (irrespective of temporal proximity) may be used as a/thebasis for caching. The favorites list may be manually modified (such asby the user or a network operator) to include other channels than thosepreviously watched. The favorites channels may also be “locked” by theuser or operator (either individually or as a group) so that these maynot be removed from the list and/or background streaming cache despiteactual viewing thereof.

In another embodiment, the recommendation engine or other entity runningat the manager 214 and in communication with the metadata database 224may be utilized to generate an evolving list of channel favorites basedon e.g., actual time spent viewing each channel. Thus, instead of merelycaching surrounding channels or randomly chosen channels for backgroundstreaming, a histogram or other rendition illustrating what programsand/or channels the user statistically watch the most (such as by numberof hours spent on that program/channel, or selected based on the one ormore programs/channels which the user switches to or from mostfrequently).

The aforementioned implementations are advantageously able todynamically update so that the favorites list takes into accountviewership over a lifetime, as well as smaller time increments (such ashourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).

Still further, the network entity which generates the favorites list(such as the manager 214) may be configured to “learn” a user'sbehavior, such as that within a given genre of content. For example, ifa user is watching sports, the background stream caching decision may bebased on the fact that this user is more likely to switch to anothersports channel and therefore, one or more of the background channels maybe other sports channels. The manager 214 may further “unlearn” userbehavior in the instance the behavior is out of the ordinary for theuser, or the user's interests change.

The user may also have two or more “contexts” that the manager entity214 can learn or store related data for. These contexts may be temporalin nature (e.g., occur at certain times of the day, days of the week,time of the year, on holidays, etc.). For instance, a user may watchsports only on weekends, and watch other types of programming during theweek. Or the user may watch sports every day during a certain period,and then one or more other types of programming before and after thatperiod.

Depending on the amount of hardware resources available for caching(and/or bandwidth available if the background streams are deliveredconstantly), a less precise or broadened set of background streams maybe cached and associated to each device. Similarly, when resources (orbandwidth) are constrained, fewer, more precisely targeted backgroundstreams may be cached.

The manager 214 may further utilize collected and stored metadata todetermine a state or mode of each CPE 222. The state or mode of the CPE222 is used as a basis for determining whether to continue cachingbackground streams. For example, a CPE 222 in a “stagnant” mode (i.e.,which remains in a resting state on a single channel for a predeterminedor dynamically determined length of time) is much less likely to needbackground streams in anticipation of a channel change event. Therefore,when the manager 214 assigns a stagnant status to the CPE 222,background streams are no longer cached for the CPE 222. Devices whichare in a “surfing” or “active” mode (i.e., which are actively engaged inchannel changing events) are very likely to need background streams inanticipation of channel change events. Hence, assignment of an activestatus indicates that background streams should continue to be cachedand provided to these devices.

Note that states or modes other than “active” or “stagnant” may also beutilized, so as to more finely capture viewer activity orcharacteristics (and hence allocate caching resources more precisely andefficiently). For example, a third mode of “combination” might becreated, wherein the given user has appreciable periods of inactivity,but then has bursts of channel change activity (such as where they areinterested in the substantive programming and hence stay on thatprogramming between commercials, but then “flip channels” during thecommercials to try to find something else of interest to watch duringthe commercials. In one model, the user may have “flip favorites”; i.e.,a select group of say three or four channels which the user regularlyaccesses during the aforementioned commercials associated with theprimary program.

It will also be recognized that certain types of content may be amenableor correlated to certain types of behavior. For example, a full-lengthfeature with no commercial breaks, or musical content, would ostensiblybe subject to less channel changing activity, since users wouldgenerally be more likely to leave the channel unchanged. In contrast, a30 minute program with several commercial breaks may correlate to a muchhigher rate of channel change activity per unit time.

The manager 214 may be further adapted to predictively assign a statusor mode to individual ones of the devices based on information knownabout a current stream. Information regarding the status of each of thedevices in a node is held at a mode database 226.

For example, the manager 214 may be able to predict upcoming channelchange activity based on the nearness of a commercial break in thecurrently viewed program. As a commercial break draws near, the manager214 may elect to bring back in background channel caching automatically.Such a decision may further be based on the user's usage pattern andhistory for “channel surfing” during commercial breaks. A cue tone,marker, or other indicia or signal may alternatively indicate thebeginning of a commercial break, and thus cause background contentcaching to begin in another embodiment.

Further, in the instance of commercial break-initiated channel changing,the manager 214 may require background caching of the original program,so that the user may return to the original program at the end of thecommercial break (or anytime within the break).

It is further appreciated that the manager 214 may be configured torecognize patterns of behavior among the users and devices. For example,in a device which has been channel surfing for an extended period oftime, the manager 214 may require a longer period of inactivity (i.e.,no channel changes) before switching the device to a stagnant mode.Likewise, if a device has been stagnant for an extended period of time,a status change of the device to an active mode may be delayed based ontime spent at the first new channel, and so forth (i.e., it may takelonger to switch a device to active mode if it generally tends to be astagnant viewer).

It is also appreciated that one or more of the functions of the manager214 described above may be overridden based on information collectedregarding a particular user or device. For example, a particular user ordevice may not be prone to channel changes during a commercial break,hence the manager 214 does not provide predictive background caching atcommercial breaks for that device.

Methodology

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a generalized methodology forproviding reduced channel switching delays in a packetized contentdelivery network.

As shown, the method 300 generally comprises first receiving a requestfor first content (step 302). In response to the request, the firstcontent and background content are provided per step 304. As notedabove, the background content comprises content which the systemdetermines has some likelihood of being selected by the user for viewingnext. Although the background content is in the exemplary embodimentcached at a lower resolution and/or quality than the first content,bandwidth considerations may also be taken into account when determiningwhether and how many background channels to cache. For example, in someinstances, bandwidth may not be sufficient to provide any backgroundchannels.

At step 306, a request for second content is received. It is appreciatedthat the second content may or may not be among the content provided orcached as background content in response to the request for the firstcontent. If so, the second content is provided in increased quality(matching that of the provided first content). If the requested secondcontent is not among the background content, some latency in itsdelivery may occur.

Additionally a step 308, necessary steps are taken to update thebackground content. Updating includes caching one or more additionalbackground streams to replace the selected stream in the instance theuser requests second content which was being cached in the background.Additionally, updating includes generating information relating to theusers selection, and using this updated information (or metadata) tolearn or reinforce an existing pattern of behavior for that user and/ordevice. For instance, the user's channel selection may: (i) cause thechannel or program to be added to a favorites list, (ii) increase thepriority of the channel as an existing favorite, (iii) indicate apattern of behavior of the user incrementally climbing or decreasing inchannel number, and/or (iv) indicate a pattern of behavior of the useroften changing channels during a commercial break, at a program ending,etc.

Referring now to FIG. 4, one embodiment of a method for providing IPpacketized content with reduced channel switching delays is given.

As shown, the method 400 generally comprises providing first content toa device (such as a requesting CPE) per step 402. A request for secondcontent originating from the device is then received per step 404. Therequest for second content is in the illustrated scenario associatedwith a channel change request.

Per step 406, it is determined whether the request for second contentshould trigger a state or mode change for the requesting device (seediscussion of modes presented with respect to FIG. 2 above). The managerentity 214 makes this decision based on what is known about the device.For instance, if the device is not generally prone to “channel surfing”,the manager 214 may allow the device to remain in “stagnant” statedespite the request for additional content. Assume for the purpose ofexample that a user which is not generally known to be a “channelsurfer” is tuned to Channel 10, then requests Channel 11. According tothis example, because the device is not prone to many channel changes,the manager 214 may change keep the device in a “stagnant” mode despitethat other devices (i.e., “channel surfers”) would have been put in anactive state upon the request for a channel change.

If a mode of the apparatus is not changed, the requested second contentis provided to the device per step 408. If, after some time, a requestfor third content is received (step 410), the method repeats at step406, wherein a determination is again made as to whether the mode of thedevice should be changed.

If a mode of the apparatus is changed per step 406, then the requestedcontent is provided and additional background content is cached per step412. As noted above, the additional background content may be selectedas for example: (i) content which is immediately above and below (inchannel sequence) the currently viewed content channel (eithersymmetrically or asymmetrically), (ii) content from a “favorites” list(generated manually, as a function of the most recently viewed programs,or by a learning engine), and/or (iii) other content identified as beingpotentially relevant to that device or user, group of devices or users,or to all devices or users.

Assume for example that a user is tuned to Channel 10, and then requestsChannel 11. The manager 214 in this instance may change the modeassociated with the apparatus to “active”, and cache background contentfor Channels 12, 13, 14, etc. Alternatively, if the user is tune toChannel 10, and then requests Channel 23, which is known to be a“favorite” for this user, the manager 214 will instead select the otherfavorite channels as background content. It is further appreciated thatthe manager 214 may select a mix or sequence of favorite, incrementaland/or other identified programs as cached background streams.

At step 414 of the method 400, a request for third content is received.Again, the request in this illustration is associated with the userchanging channels from the second to the requested third content. Themanager 214 next determines whether the third requested content is amongthe content cached as background streams (step 416). This information isuseful in determining the effectiveness of the selection of backgroundstreams.

If the requested third content is not among the content provided in thebackground, per step 418, the manager 214 updates the metadata databaseto indicate that a request was made for content outside of the predictedpattern of behavior. The metadata updates are used to generate updatedbackground content which is then cached and the requested content isprovided to the user (step 420). For example, the user's choice ofcontent not within the previously cached background content may indicateto the manager 214 that content other than the immediate channels upand/or down from a current channel should be selected for thisparticular user, and instead “favorites” based background caching shouldbe used.

If the requested third content is among the content provided in thebackground, this lower quality content is optionally increased inresolution and/or quality, and provided to the user per step 422.Additionally, the background content cache is updated. Updates to thebackground content in this instance may include for example caching oneadditional content stream in place of the selected one of the backgroundstreams which was requested and is now being provided. The updatedbackground content may track the user's patterns of behavior. Forexample, if the requested second and third content are channels whichare incrementally larger or smaller, the background stream updates toinclude the next incrementally larger or smaller channel.

Additionally, a lesser utilized or previously viewed favorite channelmay be brought in as background content as the user continues to requestcontent (i.e., as the user “channel hops”). Suppose for example that auser's favorites include Channels 10, 12, 18, 22, 25, 31, 33, 39, 40,45, 52, and 55. A user may be provided Channel 10, with Channels 12, 22,33, and 45 cached as background content. When the user selects to changeto Channel 22, Channel 10 may be cached in the background, oralternatively, any one of the remaining favorites may be cached.

Although the foregoing are discussed in terms of a request for contenttriggering mode changes and delivery of background content, it isappreciated that in one embodiment, the mode change and delivery ofbackground content may be performed prior to a request for second and/orthird content; e.g., may be performed in anticipation of such a request,such as at (or ahead of) a commercial break, program ending, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of a method for providing IPpacketized content with reduced channel switching delays is described.As shown, per step 502, requested content is provided to the user deviceand background content is cached. In the absence of user activity, aftera predetermined length of time, the manager 214 is tasked withdetermining whether the mode or status of the device should be updatedto reflect that the user is no longer in need of background contentcaching (i.e., is not likely to begin channel surfing or changingchannels in the near future) per step 504. The determination of whetherto place a device in “stagnant” mode is based in the exemplaryembodiment on what is known about a particular user (such as whether theuser of the device often channel surfs, is often stagnant, etc.), whatis known about the stream (such as whether a commercial break isupcoming, whether a program is ending, etc.), and/or current resourceallocation (such as current available bandwidth, predicted bandwidthrequirements, etc.).

If the manager 214 elects to change the mode of the device to a stagnantmode, the system may cease caching background content per step 508.Hence, the mode change to “stagnant” in this instance will conservenetwork bandwidth and other resources which would otherwise be necessaryto support caching. If the manager 214 elects not to change the devicemode to stagnant (i.e., leave the device in active mode), then per step506 the system will continue providing the originally requested contentand keep the cache of the additional background content.

When the manager 214 elects to change modes to place a device instagnant mode, after a period of time, a trigger event may occur (step510) which causes the manager 214 to again evaluate whether the changethe mode of the device (step 512). The trigger event may be for examplea request for new content, a program end or commercial break cue, orsome other network or user-generated trigger (e.g., power-up orpower-down of the CPE). As noted above, the decision of whether tochange a mode of the device may be based on various factors includinginter alia the time between channel change requests, patterns ofbehavior of the user or device, and/or bandwidth availability.

In this instance, if the mode is not changed, the device continues toreceive only the requested programming without any background streamsbeing cached (step 516). If however, the device mode is changed toactive, the requested content is provided and background content iscached (step 514).

Manager

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a manager entity 214according to the invention. As illustrated, the manager 214 generallycomprises at least one interface 602 for communication within the hostnetwork infrastructure, a processor 604, and associated storage 610.

The processor 604 in the illustrated embodiment is configured to run atleast a mode change application 606 and a background cachingdetermination application 608 thereon (which may be integrated into acommon application or program if desired). Information useful indetermining mode changes and/or stream determinations is stored in ametadata database 224 and/or a mode database 226.

In the illustrated embodiment, the mode change application 606 isresponsible for determining mode; e.g., whether a device should beplaced in a stagnant or active mode. As discussed with respect to themethods of FIGS. 3-5 above, the mode determination may be based at leastpartly on what is known about the program. For example, if it is knownthat the currently viewed program is a full length movie with limited orno commercials, channel changes may be surmised to be less frequent, andthus a device may be placed in stagnant mode. If it is known that theprogram has many commercial breaks, then the mode change application 606may determine to keep the device in active mode.

The determination may also be based on time of day. For instance, themode change application 606 may be configured to elect to keep mostdevices in stagnant mode for a certain time period, such as e.g., 12am-5 am (local time for the device), in that either (i) the device willnot be actively used during that period (i.e., the user is asleep), or(ii) even if being “actively” used (i.e., the CPE is turned on), theuser may not be actively watching it, such as due to falling asleep withthe CPE active.

Further, the channel change activity on the device in question or anydevice in a home network may be used as a basis for determining whetherto change a mode of a device. The information used to determine channelchange activity includes time between channel changes, amount of changeswithin a predetermined time, patterns of behavior with respect tochannel changes, etc.

A user or device profile may also be used to determine whether modechanges are appropriate. For example, if a user is classified as oftenbeing a channel surfer, mode changes may occur more frequently.Additionally, the subscription level of a user or associated with adevice may contribute to a mode change decision; i.e., mode changes maybe more readily made for premium level subscribers, thereby ostensiblyproviding better service due to reduced latency for channel changes. Ina related fashion, the subscription level of a given user may also lendinformation useful in modeling or predicting channel change behavior.For example, a user with basic (non-premium) service which includesaccess to few or no premium (e.g., on-demand or full length) contentdelivery mechanisms may more frequently channel-hop, since theirprogramming generally carries a much higher density of commercials andadvertisements.

The foregoing information necessary to make the mode changedeterminations is retrieved in the illustrated embodiment by the modechange application 606 from the metadata database 224. Although thedatabase 224 of FIG. 6 is shown located within the manager entity 214,it is appreciated that the metadata database 224 may comprise a separateentity in communication with the manager 214, and may in fact be remotetherefrom.

The mode database 226 of FIG. 6 indicates a current status of eachdevice in the network. The mode database 226 is updated by the modechange application 606 when it is determined that a particular deviceshould be changed from a “stagnant” to “active” mode (or vice versa). Aswith the metadata database 224, the mode database 226 may be locatedremote to the manager entity 214, yet in communication therewith.

It is further appreciated that although discussed herein with respect to“stagnant” and “active” states only, the mode database 226 may recordother device statuses. In one embodiment, a “sleep” status may berecorded at the database 226, and instituted by the mode changeapplication 606 when a particular device has fallen well below thestandard for placing the device in stagnant mode. For instance, if themode change application 606 generally places devices in stagnant modeafter X amount of time without a channel change request, then aftere.g., 2× amount of time (twice the nominal stagnant time period), thedevice is placed in a sleep mode, wherein all content provided to thedevice is provided in lower resolution and/or quality. Such lack ofchannel change activity may correlate e.g., to the user having lefttheir premises without turning the CPE/TV off, having fallen asleepwhile watching the TV, having turned the TV off yet not turned theirCPE/receiver off, and so forth; hence, the lower resolution or qualitydelivered will make no difference to user experience.

In another embodiment, a “hyper-active” status may be identified by themode change application 606, and recorded in the mode database 226. Thehyper-active status indicates that a particular device has a pattern ofswitching often between two or more programs. For example, during thecommercials of one program stream, the viewer flips to the other, andback-and-forth accordingly. In this instance, it may be more efficientto provide the two or more programs as “always on” (i.e., full-qualityand resolution) to the device as opposed to constantly switching aroundthe background streams.

The background determination application 608 running on the managerentity 214 is used in the illustrated embodiment for makingdeterminations as to the number and content of the background streams.Information necessary to make such determinations may be retrieved bythe application 608 from the metadata database 224.

The favorites list may comprise a dynamically updating list which isable to learn and unlearn user behavior as discussed in co-owned U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 20100251305, previously incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. As discussed therein, thebackground determination application 608 “learns” from informationcollected regarding a user's actions and “unlearns” usage behavior bygradually downgrading the importance of certain data as it becomes lessrelevant.

Additionally, the background determination application 608 may elect toprovide additional volume of background content to devices based onpatterns of behavior at the device. For example, if a given device is aknown “channel surfer”, the application 608 may provide more backgroundcontent to that device as compared to those devices which are not soclassified. In a further embodiment, the determination application 608may preemptively cache certain content as background streams for aparticular type of primary or “in focus” content. For example, knownpopular content (e.g., American Idol), content regarding national newsevents, holidays, emergencies, etc. may cause a predetermined set oflogically, demographically, or psychographically related backgroundcontent to be preemptively cached with the expectation that users willmore likely seek the related content versus anything else. As oneexample, consider where the national news reports a major snow storm fora portion of the country; cached background content for that area mayinclude The Weather Channel, an emergency alert channel, and the movie“White Christmas”.

Other content may also be cached (as determined by the backgrounddetermination application 608), such as for instance content which isconcurrently being recorded by the user or another user in the premises,and/or content which it is known that a user's “friends” are watching.The second example may include apparatus and methods discussed inco-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/582,653 filed on Oct. 20,2009 and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING MEDIAFUNCTIONALITY IN A CONTENT-BASED NETWORK”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,396,055issued on Mar. 12, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. As discussed therein, a user may share his/her favoriteslist with other users or so-called “friends” additionally, the user mayenable his/her friends to be made aware of the content which the user iscurrently tuned (i.e., see what your friends are watching right now).According to this embodiment, the background determination application608 may cache as background content that content which is currentlybeing provided to a second user (i.e., a friend of the first user).Alternatively, or in addition, the user profile and/or favorites list ofthe second user may be substituted for that of the first user.

In yet another variant, the determination application 608 may beconfigured to dynamically begin a process of increasing resolution andquality of certain ones of the background streams based on a user'sbutton presses. Suppose for example, that a user's favorites cached asbackground content include Channels 052, 112, 154, 220, and 453 of theEPG When the user begins to enter a channel request which begins with a“1”, the application 608 can immediately begin to increase theresolution and quality of channels 112 and 154 of the background streamin anticipation that either of these may be selected. If the usercontinues by entering a second 1, the application 608 can stopincreasing resolution and quality of Channel 154, focusing on Channel112 only.

Gateway Apparatus

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a gateway device 220according to one aspect of the present invention. The gateway 220 maytake on any number of forms, including e.g., those with various types ofwired and wireless interfaces, indigenous recording capabilities (e.g.,DVR or MR-DVR capability), etc. In one exemplary embodiment the gateway220 is Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) enabled; however, this is in no way arequirement of practicing the invention.

Moreover, it will be recognized that while certain embodiments of thecontent distribution network of the invention are described as using agateway (such as those referenced above), the gateway is not anessential component for the delivery of packet-based content over thenetwork according to the invention. For example, in certain variants, anIP-enabled DSTB with a suitable front-end (network) interface forreceiving the packetized content may obviate the use of the gateway.

As shown, the exemplary gateway device 220 generally comprises a networkinterface 702, processor 704 with associated RAM 708, and a plurality ofback end interfaces 710. The network interface 702 enables communicationbetween the gateway device 220 and the delivery network 205 (e.g., HFC,HFCu, satellite, optical fiber, etc.). The network interface 702 in oneexemplary HFC-based implementation is configured to receive IP contentover the DOCSIS QAM (and optionally via standard in-band QAM transportif so equipped as a backup or alternate transport) via an RF tuner,demodulator, etc. Additionally, the network interface 702 may beconfigured to modulate, encrypt, and multiplex as required, and transmitdigital information for receipt by upstream entities such as the CMTS ora network server.

The gateway device 220 may be configured to provide received content toother devices in a user's network (such as via MoCA network, CAT-5 LAN,and/or other wired or wireless topology such as Wi-Fi or PAN). Hence theback end interfaces 408 can include e.g., video/audio interfaces,RJ-45/CAT-5, IEEE-1394 “FireWire”, Thunderbolt, USB, serial/parallelports, DisplayPort, etc.) for interface with other end-user apparatussuch as televisions, personal electronics, computers, Wi-Fi or PANtransceivers, or other network hubs/routers, etc. Other components whichmay be utilized within the device (deleted from FIG. 7 for simplicity)include various processing layers (e.g., DOCSIS MAC or DAVIC OOBchannel, MPEG etc.), as well as media processors and other specializedSoC or ASIC devices. The gateway device 220 may also comprise anintegrated HD decoder, thereby relieving any connected monitors or otherdevices from the requirement of having such a decoder. These additionalcomponents and functionality are well known to those of ordinary skillin the cable and embedded system fields, and accordingly not describedfurther herein.

The gateway device 220 also optionally includes a MoCA, retail compliantF-connector for providing data-over-coax capability. The exemplary MoCAport operates in the 1125-1525 MHz band, although other frequencies(MoCA compliant or otherwise) may be used for this purpose if desired.The MoCA frequencies can be multiplexed onto the cable output port ofthe gateway device 220, or sent over another channel (e.g., dedicatedchannel or interface). The exemplary MoCA interface (not shown) of thegateway device 220 is compliant with the Media Over Coax Alliancestandard v1.0, September 2005, incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The MoCA interface also supports a minimum of 8 active nodeson the coax network.

The gateway device 220 may also be made compliant with the DigitalLiving Network Alliance (DLNA) requirements version 1.5, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The gateway device 220can automatically discover all DLNA-capable clients in communicationtherewith during boot up or other events. The gateway device 220 canalso automatically start a DLNA-compatible media servers at boot usingonly the aforementioned MoCA, wireline, and/or Wi-Fi network interfaces.

Still further, the gateway device 220 may utilize the HomePlug A/Vstandard which transmits digital data over power lines in order tocommunicate with other devices in the user's premises.

The processor 704 is configured to run one or more applications (notshown) for providing there herein disclosed functionality. The processor704 of the gateway device 220 may be further configured to runadditional applications including those useful in determining a user'sauthority to view requested client. In one embodiment, the methods andapparatus disclosed in co-owned, co-pending U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 20100131973 filed on Aug. 6, 2009 and entitled “SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR MANAGING ENTITLEMENTS TO DATA OVER A NETWORK” may beutilized to provide the aforementioned functionality. Specifically, asdiscussed therein, a request for content is received from a clientdevice at e.g., the processor 704 of the gateway device 220. Theprocessor 704 obtains information identifying the user account (such assubscriber identification number, account number, etc.) and uses thisinformation to request entitlements from an entitlements server (notshown) located elsewhere at the headend. Based on the results returnedfrom the entitlements server, the processor 704 will either grant ordeny the request. The entitlements server accesses subscriptioninformation in a subscriber and device database to obtain sufficientinformation to determine the entitlements of the subscriber (which mayalso be used to access information in the aforementioned database(s) ofFIG. 6 regarding user subscription level, preferences, historicalbehavior, etc.).

In yet another embodiment, the gateway device 220 may be configured totransmit and/or receive data via WiMAX transport. In the context of thepresent invention for example, the gateway 220 might transmit content toconnected CPE 222 via another connection (e.g., 1394, USB, MoCA, etc.),yet receive the requested content via a WIMAX broadband interface.Alternatively, the WiMAX interface could be used to transmit therequested content to the CPE 222 directly. Various permutations of theforegoing will be recognized by those of ordinary skill given thepresent disclosure.

In yet another embodiment, the gateway device 220 may be (or incorporatetherein) converged premises device (CPD) functionality, such as thatdescribed in co-owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No.20070217436 entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CENTRALIZED CONTENT ANDDATA DELIVERY” filed Mar. 16, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,347,341 issuedon Jan 1, 2013, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Asdiscussed therein, the CPD functionality may be leveraged at the gatewaydevice to provide centralized storage of content (such as content storedat other devices in the premises). The gateway device may furthercomprise DRM termination functionality as well as DTCP protection.

The gateway 220 may further comply with Digital Living Network Alliance(DLNA) standards. In the present invention, however, the gateway devicemay utilize DLNA standards for passing metadata to client devices (suchas for passing parental control, EPG/guide data, ratings information,etc.). Such functionality may be useful for ensuring, for example, thatparental controls are maintained on stored content within a premises. Inone embodiment, the foregoing metadata processing and passing functionsmay be enabled via one or more extensions to the basic DLNA standards.

As noted above, the aforementioned functionality may alternatively beencompassed in the CPE 222 devices themselves.

Many other approaches and combinations of various operational andbusiness paradigms are envisaged consistent with the invention, as willbe recognized by those of ordinary skill when provided this disclosure.

It will be recognized that while certain aspects of the invention aredescribed in terms of a specific sequence of steps of a method, thesedescriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods of theinvention, and may be modified as required by the particularapplication. Certain steps may be rendered unnecessary or optional undercertain circumstances. Additionally, certain steps or functionality maybe added to the disclosed embodiments, or the order of performance oftwo or more steps permuted. All such variations are considered to beencompassed within the invention disclosed and claimed herein.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments,it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Theforegoing description is of the best mode presently contemplated ofcarrying out the invention. This description is in no way meant to belimiting, but rather should be taken as illustrative of the generalprinciples of the invention. The scope of the invention should bedetermined with reference to the claims.

What is claimed is: 1.-19. (canceled)
 20. A method for providing reducedchannel changing latency in a content distribution network, said methodcomprising: providing first content to a user device in communicationwith said network, said user device being associated to a first statusindicative of a level of activity of said user device within saidnetwork; receiving from said user device a request for second content;changing said first status of said user device to a second status;providing said requested second content; and caching third content, saidcaching of said third content comprising preparing said third contentfor delivery to said user with reduced latency.
 21. The method of claim20, further comprising: receiving from said user device a request forfourth content; determining whether said requested fourth content isamong said cached third content; and in response to said requestedfourth content not being among said cached third content, updating aplurality of information for selecting said cached third content. 22.The method of claim 20, wherein said changing based at least in part ona time interval during which said user has been associated with saidfirst status, such that when said time interval does not exceed apre-determined threshold, changing said status without a delay, and whensaid time interval exceeds said pre-determined threshold, applying adelay proportional to said time interval prior to changing said status.23. An apparatus for providing reduced channel changing latency in acontent distribution network, said apparatus comprising: at least onenetwork interface; a storage entity; and a processor configured to runat least one computer program thereon, said computer program comprisinga plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed causesaid apparatus to: access first information relating to a status of auser device in said network; when said user device has a first status,access second information relating to a user profile associatedtherewith; and utilize said second information to select one or more ofa plurality of content for caching for said user device.
 24. Theapparatus of claim 23, wherein said plurality of instructions arefurther configured to, when executed cause said apparatus to: detect abutton press indicative of a request to change a display of a firstprogram to a display of a second program; and cache at least a portionof said first program, said cache triggered by said detection of saidbutton press.
 25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said plurality ofinstructions are further configured to, when executed cause saidapparatus to: receive updated second information substantially inresponse to said request to change said display of said first program tosaid display of said second program; and utilize said updated secondinformation to select an additional one or more of said plurality ofcontent for caching.
 26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said storageentity comprises said first and said second information stored therein.27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said first status comprises anactive status, said active status being determined at least by detectedactivity at said user device.
 28. A method for providing reduced channelchanging latency in a content distribution network, said methodcomprising: providing first content to a user device in communicationwith the network, said user device having a first status with respect toits activity in the network; receiving from said user device a requestfor second content; determining whether to change said first status ofsaid user device to a second status; providing said requested secondcontent; and when it is determined that said status of said user deviceis to be changed to said second status, caching third content, saidcaching of said third content comprising preparing said third contentfor delivery to said user with reduced latency.